Actuator top for aerosol devices



May 31, 1966 P. H. SAGARIN 3,253,749

ACTUATOR TOP FOR AEROSOL DEVICES Filed April 16, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fly y 1966' P. H. SAGARIN 3,253,749

I ACTUATOR TOP FOR AEROSOL DEVICES Filed April 16, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR.

PhLUP H. SaSClr'Cn BY 5 FIGENT United States Patent 3,253,749 ACTUATOR TOP FOR AEROSOL DEVICES Philip H. Sagarin, Bridgeport, C0nn., assignor to Valve Corporation of America, Bridgeport, C0nn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 360,394 8 Claims. (Cl. 222182) This invention relates to small hand-held aerosol devices, and more particularly to guard-type actuator caps therefor.

It sometimes happens, in the packing and shipping of spray or aerosol dispensers, that accidental or inadvertent discharge of the contents of the spray dispenser occurs due to damage of the package, the method of packing and/or the inclusion in the package of small articles such as lipsticks, vials and the like at a location adjacent the operating member of the actuator cap.

-If such a small article, or if a sharp or protuberant portion of the package is made to exert a pressure on the operating member (which latter circumstance might be occasioned as a consequence of rough handling, jarring, or damage to the package) there is a great likelihood of undesirable discharge of the spray substance taking place. In the case of an aerosol dispenser of the type comprising a pressurized can or other container, it is possible as a practical matter for virtually the entire contents of the dispenser to be thus inadvertently discharged in consequence of rough handling or damage during shipment, or else improper packaging in preparation for shipment.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved guard-type actuator cap construction for spray or aerosol dispensers and the like, wherein the likelihood of accidental or inadvertent discharge of the contents of the dispenser is greatly minimized if not wholly eliminated, while at the same time there is bad the same freedom of action and ease of operation which characterizes the more conventional type actuator caps.

This is accomplished, in accordance with the invention, by the provision of a unique manually removable enclosure means which is adapted to be discarded and which initially surrounds the operating portion or member of the actuator cap, such enclosure means being so organized and arranged that it normally obstructs any force-applying instrumentability which might cause a discharge of the container contents, and in some embodiments also effectively obstructs the finger of an unauthorized person if an effort is made to surreptitiously operate the spray device. By the use of narrow frangible webs connecting the cap body and a removable closure piece constituting the enclosure means the desired guard or safe-guarding function is had, by which the above problems are eliminated while at the same time afterremoval of the guard piece the actuator cap is converted to a structure substantially similar to non-safety actuators, as regards the appearance, function and operation.

The removable closure means may be incorporated in both a one-piece and a two-piece cap construction as disclosed herein, thereby avoiding any limitations as to its use.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved tamper-proof actuator cap of the above type, wherein there is effectively prevented unauthorized operation of the dispenser without discovery of such act, thereby tending to insure that the customer will receive a completely full container, not one which is partially discharged.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved safe-guarding enclosure-type actuator cap construction in accordance with the foregoing, which may be easily, economically fabricated as a molded structure of resilient or semi-rigid plastic substance.

A feature of the invention resides in the provision of an improved actuator cap construction of the removable cover-piece type as above characterized, wherein the cover piece overlies a major portion of a side recess of the cap body and still provides sufficient clearance space for partial insertion of the users finger for the purpose of tearing out or removing the cover piece.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved actuator cap for spray devices as set forth above, wherein the construction readily enables the actuator member or button of the cap to be either an integral part of the entire overall structure or else a separate part or piece which is applied to the stationary cap body part at a later time, that is, after the molding of the body.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of an improved actuator cap construction as outlined, wherein there is presented to the user a relatively large tapered or semi-conical finger-receiving side recess in the cap body after the removal of the protective cover piece, wherein the depress button is located in the said recess in an arrangement such that easy and convenient access is had to the button, enabling the latter to be readily operated.

Other features of the invention reside in the provision of an enclosed removable guard-type cap of the type specified, which is extremely simple, comprises relatively few parts, and which may be economically fabricated While at the same time providing a sturdy construction which is characterized by reliable and trouble free operation.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings accompanying this specification, similar characters of reference are used to designate like components throughout the several views, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational View of a pressurized aerosol dispenser having the improved removable-guard-piece type actuator cap.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the actuator cap of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the actuator cap.

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the actuator cap.

.FIG.' 5 is an axial sectional view of the cap, taken on the line 55 of FIG. 2, an upper portion of the pressurized container being shown in elevation. The actuator cap construction shownhere is of the two-piece type, having a stationary cap body and a movable depress button, the latter being fabricated as a separate piece and being applied to the cap body at a later time.

FIG. 6 is an axial vertical sectional view of a twopiece actuator cap construction constituting another embodiment of the invention, wherein the cover piece is curved upward.

FIG. 7 is a view partly in axial section and partly in side elevation of an aerosol dispenser and actuator cap constituting still another embodiment of the invention wherein the cap construtcion is constituted as a single molded piece.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the actuator cap of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a bottom'plan view of the actuator cap of FIGS. 7 and 8.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of an improved actuator cap construction illustrating yet another embodiment of the invention, comprising a two-piece actuator cap with a circular cover piece.

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of the of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a rear elevational view of the actuator cap of FIGS. 10 and 11.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-5, there is illustrated a pressurized aerosol container 20 of a usual type, having a actuator cap shoulder 24 and further having an upstanding vertically movable valve stem 26.

The improved cap construction as provided by the invention in FIGS. 1-5 comprises a two-piece assemblage, an outer stationary cap body designated generally by the numeral 28, and a vertically movable inner depress button designated 30. The cap body 28 is of inverted cup-like construction, having a main cylindrical wall 32 provided at its bottom edge with an enlarged mounting rim 34 including an internal annular groove 36 receiving the shoulder 24 of the container 20. The arrangement is such that the cap body 28 is rigidly afiixed to the upper portion of the container by the above designated structures.

At its upper forward portion, the cap body 28 has an inward and angularly extending wall 38 provided with a central opening or slot 40 through which there extends the nozzle or orifice member 42 of the depress button 30. The button 30 may be of semicylindrical configuration, with a fiat front wall 44 from which the orifice member 42 projects angularly, and a cylindrical remaining wall 46 Depending from the button 30 is a hollow boss 48 in which there is frictionally received the upstanding valve stem 26 of the dispensing container.

The button 30 is thus vertically movable in the stationary cap body 28, and to facilitate the actuation of the button a relatively deep radial finger notch 50 is provided in its upper portion. The side wall 32 of the cap body is correspondingly cut away, having a curved edge 52 to form a deep notch 54 which is normally aligned with the finger notch 50.

In accordance with the presence invention, a readily removable protective cover piece 56 is provided on the cap body 28 to overlie the depress button 30 and constitute a guard element for preventing inadvertent or unauthorized actuation of the button and discharge of the contents of the dispenser 20. The cover piece 56 is separated from the remainder of the cap body by long narrow slits 58 and 60, and is joined to the cap body by narrow frangible webs 62. The webs 62 are so narrow and thin that the user may readily break them by applying moderately strong pressure to the cover piece 56, while at the same time the webs will not readily break or fail during normal packing, shipping or storage procedures.

It will be observed that the cover piece 56 overlies a major portion of the finger groove 50 in the button 30, and that there is enough space below the cover piece 56 to enable the fingers to readily grasp the free edge 64 of the piece with the full grip necessary to apply the desired disruptive or removing force. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-5, the cover piece 56 is flat or planar, thereby to not interfere with stacking of the aerosol devices, or with any compact arrangement for shipping, etc. Where the compact shipping arrangement or vertical stacking is not a consideration, the protective cover piece 56 may be curved or arched upward in an arrangement as seen in FIG. 6. This enables a better grip to be had upon the cover piece. In this figure similar numerals have been employed to designate like components, but with the added SUffiX comprising the letter a.

Another embodiment of the invention comprising a wholly one-piece cap construction having a removable cover piece, is illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9. On a pressurized container 70 there is mounted a cap body 72 having a movable or depressible actuator portion 74 separated from the body by slot portions 75. The cap body has a pair of concentric-spaced depending skirts or walls 76 and78, the wall 76 engaging a detent shoulder 80 of the container 70 as seen in FIG. 7. The depressible portion 74 of the actuator cap has a depending'hollow boss 82 engaged with the vertically movable valve stem 84. of the container. A weakened hinge portion 86 connects the actuator portion .74 oi the cap with the stationary body portion 72.

Overlying the actuator portion 74 is a tear-away cover piece 88 which is joined to the cap body portion by frangible sections formed by two oppositely disposed straight grooves 90. The bottom walls of the grooves 90 comprise extremely thin sections or webs whereby they may readily tear upon a removing force being applied to the cover piece 88.

The depressible portion 74 of the cap has a discharge orifice 92 which directs the aerosol substance through a front opening 94 in the cap body 72. Below the cover piece 88 there exists a space 96 which is available to the fingers for the purpose of firmly grasping the cover piece to remove the same. The parallel grooves 90 as well as the space 96 permit the one-piece actuator cap to be molded by the use of suitable mold and coring techniques. As seen in FIG. 9, the slot portions 75 form a U, and separate most of the depressible portions 74 of the actuator from the stationary cap'body.

Another embodiment of the invention, comprising a two-piece actuator construction, is illustrated in FIGS. 10-12. In these figures the stationary cap body is designated generally by the numeral 100, and the movable depress button by the numeral 102. The cap body 100.

has an indented front wall portion 104 provided with a discharge opening 106 through which the aerosol substance is sprayed.

As seen in FIG. 11, the cap body has an inner cylindrical wall 108 providing a guide and bearing for the depress button 102.

In accordance with the present invention, located above the bore formed by the cylindrical wall 108, there is provided a removable protective cover piece 110, separated from the remainder of the cap body at the front portion of the actuator cap by two narrow arcuate slots 112 each extending through an arc of slightly less than 90, and by wider spaces 114 at the rear portion of the actuator cap. The protective cover piece is connected to the cap body portion by three thin frangible webs 116, which join the piece to the cylindrical wall 108. The protective cover piece 110 overlies the entire actuator button 102, and is located inwardly of a theoretical upward extension of the bore wall 108.

Also, in accordance with the invention a tamper-proof depending tab 118 is provided, secured to the rear edge of the piece 110 and extending downwardly into the space below the said piece, as indicated in FIG. 11. The tamper-proof tab 118 is arranged to prevent entrance of a finger in the space above the depress button 102, thereby to minimize the likelihood of such button being actuated by an unauthorized person, to effect any discharge of the contents of the aerosol container.

When it is desired to use the aerosol device, the cover piece is pulled upward, breaking the webs 116, and discarded, as with the other forms of the invention.

It will now be understood from the foregoing that I have provided a novel and improved actuator cap construction for aerosol devices, comprising either a onepiece molding or a two-piece assemblage, wherein there is a readily removable cover piece preventing accidental or unauthorized operation of the actuator to effect a discharge of the contents of the aerosol container. The actuator cap construction is simple and economical to fabricate, reliable and foolproof in its operation, and provides an improved product and result in that accidental or unauthorized discharge of the aerosol substance is substantially minimized and in many cases wholly averted.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims, and portions of the improvement may be used without others.

I claim:

1. A safety-guard type actuator cap for a dispenser comprising, in combination:

' (a) a depress button having a finger-engageable top surface, said button being adapted for connection to the valve of the dispenser to actuate the same and effect a discharge of the dispenser contents,

(b) a stationary cap body surrounding the depress button and arranged to provide access to the fingerengageable surface of the button, and

(c) manually removable means adapted to be discarded, comprising a cover piece fixedly carried by the cap body and overlying the finger-engageable surface of the button to prevent inadvertent actuation of the latter, said means including frangible webs which are integral with the cover piece and cap body and which join the cover piece and cap body together and support the cover piece, said webs being readily broken to release the cover piece upon applying solely a removing force to. the said piece while the cap body remains stationary.

2. A safety-guard type actuator cap for a dispenser comprising, in combination:

(a) a depress button having a finger-engageable top surface, said button being adapted for connection to the valve of the dispenser to actuate the same and effect a discharge of the dispenser contents,

(b) a stationary cap body surrounding the depress button and arranged to provide access to the fingerengageable surface of the button, and

(c) manually removable means adapted to be discarded, comprising a cover piece fixedly carried by the cap body and overlying the finger-engageable surface of the button to prevent inadvertent actuation of the latter, said means including frangible Webs which join the cover piece and cap body together and which may be readily broken upon applying a removing force to the piece,

(d) the button, cap body, cover piece and webs being molded as a single integral piece, of plastic substance.

3. A safety-guard type actuator cap for a dispenser comprising, in combination:

(a) a depress button having a finger-engageable top surface, said button being adapted for connection to the valve of the dispenser to actuate the same and effect a discharge of the dispenser contents,

(b) a stationary cap body surrounding the depress button and arranged to provide access to the fingerengageable surface of the button, and

(c) manually removable means adapted to be discarded, corr'l'prising a cover piece fixedly carried by the cap body and overlying the finger-engageable surface of the button to prevent inadvertent actuation of the latter, said means including frangible Webs which join the cover piece and cap body together and which may be readily broken upon applying a removing force to the piece,

(d) the cap body, cover piece and Webs being molded as a single integral piece of plastic substance, and

(e) the depress button being molded as a separate piece, of plastic substance.

4. A safety-guard type actuator cap for a dispenser comprising, in combination:

(a) a depress button having a finger-engageable top surface, said button being adapted for connection to which may be readily broken upon applying a removing force to the piece,

((1) the cap body having a top recess in which the finger-engageable surface of the button is disposed,

(e) said removable cover piece spanning at least a portion of said recess and having a depending guard tab at one edge, extending into the recess and providing a finger grip.

5. An actuator cap as in claim 4, wherein:

(a) the top recess of the cap body is defined by a rounded wall thereof,

(b) said button being circular and having a marginal portion which is coextensive with a rounded wall of the cap body,

(c) said cover piece having a circular configuration commensurate in size with the button.

6. An actuator cap as in claim 4, wherein:

(a) the distance between the depending guard tab and the adjoining portions of the cap body is too small to admit a finger, thereby to prevent unauthorized operation of the button without breaking the cover piece away from the body,

7. An actuator cap as in claim 6, wherein:

(a) the cap body, cover piece and depending tab are molded as a single piece,

(b) said body having a central bore the walls of which constitute a bearing for the depress button,

(c) said cover piece being aligned with the bore of the body, and

(d) said frangible webs being connected to the said walls of the bore, and said tab being disposed inwardly of a theoretical upward extension of the bore walls.

8. A safety-guard type actuator cap for a dispenser comprising, in combination:

(a) a depress button having a finger-engageable top surface, said button being adapted for connection to the valve of the dispenser to actuate the same and effect a discharge of the dispenser contents,

(b) a stationary cap body surrounding the depress button and arranged to provide access to the fingerengageable surface of the button, and

(c) manually removable means adapted to be discarded, comprising a cover piece fixedly carried by the cap body and overlying the finger-engageable surface of the button to prevent inadvertent actuation of the latter, said means including frangible Webs which join the cover piece and cap body together and which may be readily broken upon applying a removing force to the piece,

(d) the cap body having a top recess in which the finger-engageable surface of the button is disposed,

(e) said removable cover piece spanning at least a portion of said recess and being curved upwardly to provide increased space in the recess for enabling the piece to be readily grasped when it is to be broken off.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,137,414 6/1964 Steinkamp 222182 3,149,746 9/1964 Edelstone et al. 222182 X 3,165,223 1/ 1965 Kenthan 222-182 FOREIGN PATENTS 649,351 9/1962 Canada. 1,223,397 6/ 1960- France.

M. HENSON WOOD, 1a., Primary Examiner.

LOUIS J. DEMBO, Examiner.

A. N. KNOWLES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SAFETY-GUARD TYPE ACUTATOR CAP FOR A DISPENSER COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) A DEPRESS BUTTON HAVING A FINGER-ENGAGEABLE TOP SURFACE, SAID BUTTON BEING ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION TO THE VALVE OF THE DISPENSER TO ACTUATE THE SAME AND EFFECT A DISCHARGE OF THE DISPENSER CONTENTS, (B) A STATIONARY CAP BODY SURROUNDING THE DEPRESS BUTTON AND ARRANGED TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE FINGERENGAGEABLE SURFACE OF THE BUTTON, AND (") MANUALLY REMOVABLE MEANS ADAPTED TO BE DISCARDED, COMPRISING A COVER PIECE FIXEDLY CARRIED BY THE CAP BODY AND OVERLYING THE FINGER-ENGAGEABLE SURFACE OF THE BUTTON TO PREVENT INADVERTENT ACTUATION OF THE LATTER, SAID MEANS INCLUDING FRANGIBLE WEBS WHICH ARE INTEGRAL WITH THE COVER PIECE AND CAP BODY AND WHICH JOIN THE COVER PIECE AND CAP BODY TOGETHER AND SUPPORT THE COVER PIECE, SAID WEBS BEING READILY BROKEN TO RELEASE THE COVER PIECE UPON APPLYING SOLELY A REMOVING FORCE TO THE SAID PIECE WHILE THE CAP BODY REMAINS STATIONARY. 